Black bear is tranquilized, captured in North Brunswick

MYFOXNY.comA man tranquilizes a bear found in a tree along Route 1 in North Brunswick.NORTH BRUNSWICK — State game officials captured a black bear that was running loose in North Brunswick this afternoon, authorities said.

The bear, which had been spotted near the intersection of Route 1 and Jersey Avenue, was cornered by police and ran up a tree, township police Sgt. Jeff Smith said. Efforts to catch the 140-pound animal stopped traffic on Route 1 for a period, he said.

Once the male bear went up the tree, members of a state wildlife control unit shot him with a tranquilizer, according to Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP officials are moving the animal to state property in Hunterdon County.

Traffis on Route 1 is moving again, police said.

The state does not estimate the bear population south of Route 80, but reports of bear sightings have increased, Hajna said.

“There’s been an increase in bear complaints,” he said.

Plans for a hunt are still being reviewed and are currently in a public comment period.